Luisa Paiewonsky, MassDOT’s Highway Administrator, Frank Tramontozzi, MassDOT’s Chief Engineer, and I were at the scene of the Interstate 93 repairs today.

As you know, today, for the second consecutive day, we are working to address a large hole that has opened up in the deck on Interstate 93 northbound near the Fellsway in Medford.

We are working on the repair right now, will work through the evening, and hope to have the work completed in time for the morning commute.

The traffic delays are significant and people should plan accordingly. I want to stress that the situation is safe. We are working with our colleagues at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and the Massachusetts State Police on traffic control in the area. I have been in contact with officials from Medford, Somerville, and Boston, and all of the communities are working cooperatively with us.

We have added rush hour service on the Orange Line to assist with the commute, and encourage where possible, that people take public transportation. Rich has specifics on the efforts that the MBTA is taking.

We will continue to keep people and the media apprised of our efforts.

We are also urging people to refer to our website and appropriate media outlets for information on the repair and the traffic situation, and to avoid the central downtown area, by using Interstate 90-the MassPike, Route 128- Interstate 95, and the Tobin Bridge.